July 2008 - Crime in the News

• Murder inquiry unlikely in Jersey

  Although the remains of at least five children have been found at a former children's home in Jersey, a murder inquiry is not likely. [31 July 2008]

• Reward offered to find honeymoon killer

  A £67,000 reward is being offered to find the killer of Catherine Mullany, who was killed on her honeymoon in Antigua. [31 July 2008]

• Drug raids not working

  Drug swoops are having little impact on reducing supply or demand of drugs, research has suggested. [30 July 2008]

• Stolen passports could be used in fraud or terrorism

  Approximately 3,000 blank biometric passports stolen on Monday are 'very likely to be destined for criminals, possibly even terrorists'. [30 July 2008]

• DNA profiles should be removed from database

  DNA records of those not convicted of a crime should be removed from the police DNA database. [30 July 2008]

• Changes to murder law

  People who murder after suffering domestic abuse could now be convicted of manslaughter instead of murder. [29 July 2008]

• Six questioned over honeymoon murder

  Six people are being questioned by police over the shooting of a Welsh couple on their honeymoon in Antigua. [29 July 2008]

• Online crime maps

  New interactive crime maps allowing every neighbourhood in England and Wales to access local crime information will be ready by the end of the year. [29 July 2008]

• Young people worry about knife crime

  55% of young people fear being victims of knife crime during the summer, a BBC London survey has found. [28 July 2008]

• Fatal shooting outside nightclub

  A man as been shot dead outside an east London nightclub. [28 July 2008]

• Most Wanted paedophile

  An on-the-run paedophile has been posted on Crimestoppers' Most Wanted website by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre. [25 July 2008]

• Fewer than a third of foreign criminals deported

  Only 308 foreign criminals out of more than 1,000 released two years ago have been deported. [25 July 2008]

• Canoe fraud couple jailed

  Anne Darwin, the wife of the canoeist who faked his death, has been jailed for six years and six months after fraudulently claiming £250,000. [24 July 2008]

• Tackling forced marriages

  The rules for British citizens marrying foreign spouses will change in a bid to tackle forced marriages. [24 July 2008]

• Mother charged for baby death

  A 20-year old British woman has been charged for causing the death of her new-born baby while on holiday in Crete. [24 July 2008]

• No prison for child knife sellers

  No one was sent to prison for selling a knife to a child between 2001 and 2006 in England and Wales. [23 July 2008]

• Disabled boy detained under Terrorism Act

  A plain clothes police officer accused the parents of a 12-year old disabled boy of child trafficking at a Channel crossing. [23 July 2008]

• One in five teenagers carry a weapon

  Nineteen per cent of 14 and 15-year olds admitted to carrying a weapon in the last year, according to a Southampton survey. [23 July 2008]

• Prison overcrowding worsens

  Some prisoners have been living and sleeping in toilet areas because of increasingly overcrowded jails. [22 July 2008]

• Student murderer suffered exam pressure

  A law student on trial for killing his guardian apparently 'snapped' due to exam pressure. [22 July 2008]

• Knife attacks in jails increase

  Knife incidents among prison inmates has almost doubled over a seven year period. [22 July 2008]

• Madeleine case could be closed

  Portugal's attorney general is due to make a statement, which could say that the Madeleine McCann case will be closed. [21 July 2008]

• Knife offenders are still not being prosecuted

  Figures suggest that in some areas, up to half of all adults caught carrying a knife receive a caution instead of being prosecuted. [21 July 2008]

• Police road traffic deaths fall

  Deaths as a result of road accidents involving police have fallen by more than half over the last two years. [21 July 2008]

• New measures in government green paper welcomed

  Crimestoppers welcomes the government's green paper on policing – From the neighbourhood to the national' - announced today. [18 July 2008]

• Hospitals could help to fight crime

  Hospitals should share data with the police when patients are admitted because of a violent attack, according to a crime expert. [18 July 2008]

• Teenager dies in stabbing

  An 18-year old has died after being stabbed in south London last night - he is the 21st London teenager to die violently this year. [18 July 2008]

• Criminal information sharing delayed

  A third of the recommendations on police sharing data, which were made after the Soham murders, have still not been implemented. [17 July 2008]

• Male nurse abused 23 women

  A male nurse in London preyed on vulnerable patients over a 20-year period, manipulating them into sexual relationships. [17 July 2008]

• ATM machine - email circular

  Crimestoppers has recently received a number of enquiries regarding an email being distributed regarding robbery at ATM machines with advice wrongly attributed by the charity. [16 July 2008]

• A fifth of teenagers admit to committing crime

  A Home Office report has disclosed that 22% of people aged between 10 and 25 admitted to committing a crime during the last year. [16 July 2008]

• Appeal over fatal fire

  The family of a Bolton woman who was killed in an arson attack are appealing for witnesses to come forward. [16 July 2008]

• Fake canoe death trial

  The man who faked his own death to claim money from insurance companies will be sentenced later today. [16 July 2008]

• Crimestoppers' online service

  Several national newspapers have reported today that an anonymous email tip-off sent to Crimestoppers has been used as evidence in the court case in which Dr Angela Gilbert is accused of hiring a hitman to murder her husband. [15 July 2008]

• Youth crime plan

  The government is set to unveil a youth crime action plan, which will include targeting the parents of children causing the most anti-social behaviour. [15 July 2008]

• Knife crime shock tactics

  People convicted of knife crime will be ordered to hospitals to see the terrible wounds caused by knives. The new government strategy, which has received criticism, comes as the Home Office will announce this week that an average of 70 knife crimes have been committed every day over the last year. [14 July 2008]

• Think again about buying knock-off DVDs

  The Industry Trust has released a new poster campaign to warn the public that buying pirated DVDs could help to fund criminal networks. [14 July 2008]

• Teachers should have more search powers

  Teachers should be able to search pupils for drugs and alcohol, according to a new review on tackling bad behaviour among pupils. [14 July 2008]

• British 'sex tourists' to face UK law

  British tourists who abuse children abroad could be prosecuted in the UK, even if their actions were legal in the country they visited. [11 July 2008]

• Five charges of child neglect

  The mother and stepfather of a seven-year old girl who apparently starved to death have been charged with five counts of child neglect. [11 July 2008]

• Reward increased for tortured woman

  A reward to catch the killer of 77-year old Georgina Edmonds has increased to £20,000 six months after her death. [11 July 2008]

• Students' accused murderer due in court

  The man charged with murdering two French students in London, who were found dead in their burning flat, is due in court. [10 July 2008]

• Sixth arrest for Shakilus murder

  A sixth teenager has been arrested over the murder of 16-year old Shakilus Townsend in south London. [10 July 2008]

• Specialist rape squads needed

  A senior police officer has said that every police force should set up a specialist squad to investigate rape allegations, to raise standards of victim care and help to improve conviction rates. [9 July 2008]

• Young knife carriers on Bebo

  A number of images have been found of young people brandishing guns and knives on the social networking website Bebo, apparently glamorising gang violence. [9 July 2008]

• Crimestoppers helps the security industry

  Crimestoppers received 75 pieces of anonymous information in June that have been passed on to the Security Industry Authority (SIA). [9 July 2008]

• Prison not forceful enough

  The Chief Inspector of Prisons has criticised the use of force at Dartmoor Prison. [9 July 2008]

• Metal theft crackdown

  Police are targeting metal thieves in a two-day operation against metal theft, which has risen by approximately 150% in the last 2 years. [8 July 2008]

• Student murder suspect questioned

  The 33-year old suspect who was arrested over the murder of two French exchange students is being questioned by police, after he left hospital with burn injuries. [8 July 2008]

• 19th victim of London knife crime

  David Idowu, 14, has died three weeks after being stabbed in the chest and stomach in south-east London. [8 July 2008]

• Tackling prison drugs

  Increased security and technology is needed to stop drugs from being smuggled into prisons in England and Wales. [7 July 2008]

• Two arrested for student murders

  A second man has been arrested for the murders of two French students, after he handed himself into police. [7 July 2008]

• Five held over Townsend murder

  Five people have been arrested over the murder of 16-year old Shakilus Townsend, who was beaten with a baseball bat and stabbed in south London. [7 July 2008]

• Students text to combat crime

  Crimestoppers rolled out a pilot in three east London schools during June, specifically focusing on combating knife crime as part of the Metropolitan Police Service's Operation Blunt. [4 July 2008]

• Three charged with Kinsella's murder

  Three people have been charged with murdering 16-year old Ben Kinsella in north London. They will appear in court today. [4 July 2008]

• Student murders linked to burglary

  Detectives are examining the possibility that the murder of two French students in a London flat was linked to an earlier burglary. [4 July 2008]

• Criminal database fears

  Concerns have been raised over a new computer database that contains information about sex offenders and violent, high-risk criminals. [4 July 2008]

• British-born teenagers are being trafficked

  Teenage girls born in the UK are being trafficked for sexual exploitation. [3 July 2008]

• Police don't want to be accused of bullying

  Police sergeants are concerned about challenging scruffy constables because they fear being accused of bullying. [3 July 2008]

• Woman not-guilty of teenager's murder

  Chelsea Bennett, 19, has been cleared of the murder of 17-year old Sian Simpson, who was stabbed through the heart in South London. [3 July 2008]

• Hundreds march in knife crime protest

  Hundreds of people have marched in North London following the fatal stabbing of 16-year old Ben Kinsella on Sunday. [2 July 2008]

• More foreign criminals deported

  A total of 2,417 foreign criminals have been deported since the beginning of the year - 22% more than the same period in 2007. [1 July 2008]

• Shadow CS anti-gun and knife week continues

  Following the recent high profile reports of gun and knife crime among young people in the media, Crimestoppers' youth website www.shadowcs.co.uk for 11-16 year olds is running an anti-gun and knife week this week. [1 July 2008]

• Man arrested for six murders

  A man has been arrested in Kent for murdering six people in a County Down bar 14 years ago. [1 July 2008]

• More than 500 SIA contractors

  There are now over SIA 500 approved contractors. The SIA's Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) continues to grow as companies realise the benefits. [1 July 2008]